1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drinking straws. More specifically, the invention relates to various embodiments of a drinking straw apparatus, preferably of plastic composition, wherein upon the application of force to the straw deploys mixing means thereby providing both drinking and mixing means for liquid beverages.
2. Description of the Prior Art
By way of background, a variety of drinking straws are known in the art for transferring a liquid from a cup or other container to your mouth. Early straws of narrow bore, made from hollow stems of various grasses and from paper, evolved to paper coated with wax and then to plastics. Today most straws are made of plastic with a larger bore for convenient drinking. Plastic straws have various shapes. Straws may be straight, bendable with a fluted-type hinge near the top, twisted providing liquid through a winding path, miniaturized and attached to juice boxes with a pointed tip for penetration of the juice box, have cut-away shapes at the end to act a spoons or for stirring, have telescoping capability, multiple tubes, have weights, base plates for stirring and/or squeezing fruit, have fins for stirring, split ends, and the like. Various drinking straws are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,613,107; 2,979,267; 3,211,379; 3,315,405; 4,636,887; 4,636,887; 4,636,887; 4,909,437, 5,038,476; 6,056,206, 6,375,092; 6,561,434; and 6,676,032.
In spite of the many variations of drinking straws, there is a need for a straw apparatus that can provide both drinking and mixing capabilities, that can be conveniently stored without taking up significant space, that can be economically manufactured, and that can have structural integrity to stir separating liquids or liquid/solid mixtures or suspensions.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved straw apparatus for stirring, mixing, blending and drinking liquids.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a drinking straw apparatus that provides means for mixing and stirring of liquids that is compact.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a straw apparatus that is conveniently stored in a compact form and can deploy mixing means for mixing and drinking liquid beverages.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention and equivalents thereof, are achieved by the methods and systems of the present invention described herein and manifest in the appended claims.